The administration of medicines to unwilling patients and particularly to infants and young children is a notoriously difficult task.
The problem is that many medicinal preparations are not palatable, in particular for small babies who have not known much else other than milk. Every new taste is an unprecedented and extraordinary experience and even new foods have to be introduced gradually.
One way of introducing new foods is to mix a small amount of a new food with a known food, for example milk. Medicines may also be administered in this way, and are often added to a bottle containing the infant's usual milk feed or some other liquid with which the infant is already familiar.
One problem with administering medicines in this way is that the medicine may become too diluted to remain effective. Another problem is monitoring the dosage of medicine which the infant is receiving, especially where the bottle contents are not consumed in their entirety.
The object of this invention is to provide a bottle accessory for use in the administration of medicines to infants, including young children, which overcomes at least some of the abovementioned problems.